Say Goodnight Till It Be Morrow
by i.paint.the.sky
Summary: At the end of her journey, Laura says goodbye to some of the people who have touched her life during the past years.


[A/N: Unlike a lot of people, I personally just adored the ending of BSG. However, there are a few character relationships that I would have liked a bit more closure for. Some of them are featured in this fic.

Obviously, spoilers for "Daybreak."

Also, I apologize for the R&J quote as a title. A/R is so much cooler than that pair. Finally, thanks to Jes for her editing services.]

* * *

Say Goodnight Till it be Morrow

_Tory  
_

After everything that had happened and all that had been revealed, it seemed a very minor concern. Yet for Laura it was something she had to do, if only because she knew no one else would bother.

She'd considered a burial on the planet first but that didn't seem appropriate. And so instead Bill had brought Tory's body here for her, to the hallway that was once covered in pictures of the dead. A few pictures still remained, faces no one alive still remembered. It was terrifying, to think of how many people had been forgotten completely now. But there was nothing to be done for them.

Bill was gone now, making the last preparations. Soon, the _Galactica_ would be gone, as the whole Fleet was swallowed by a yellow sun. Tory would go with them and that was why Laura stood in this hallway now, looking down at the body of the young woman who had been so much to her these last years.

It had not been an easy job to take. Billy's death had left a hole in Laura's world that no one would ever completely fill…but Tory had come close. She had thrown herself into the work, doing everything Laura had ever asked and then some. Tory had believed in her, believed enough to do anything it took to keep Baltar from the presidency. And then, on New Caprica, she had been there all the way.

But she had never been Billy, had never quite gotten close enough to claim a part of Laura's heart. That had probably been intentional on Laura's part, to avoid another devastating loss. And in the end maybe it was for the best, given what Tory had turned out to be. A Cylon, one of the Five. And a murderer.

Laura should probably hate Tory. She could still hear that exchange from the base ship, just after she had found out: _I'm done taking orders from you._ So cold it had almost hurt. But still…only almost.

"I'm sorry," Laura whispered.

_Gaius  
_

Laura wasn't sure exactly how it happened but somehow she ended up on a Raptor with Caprica Six and Gaius Baltar. And Bill, of course, but his attention was focused on piloting and so that kept him from being a part of the awkward silence.

For so long, she had felt nothing but hatred towards Baltar. She had walked out of a room because she couldn't look at him; she had taken part in his torture. She had come so close to agreeing to just let him disappear. But when his life had finally literally been in her hands, when he had been bleeding out in front of her…she had realized the truth of what she had told Bill once. He was one of them, even if he was the worst of them.

Now when she looked at him, she felt…almost indifferent. She would never be able to care for or trust him but she had to recognize the changes he had made in recent months. And part of her could also see, when she saw him look at the Cylon beside him, a softer side that maybe, just maybe, had always been there.

It was a short journey down to the planet, this beautiful ball of green and blue that was an answer to all their prayers. Once they touched ground, she struggled to stand up, her body rebelling at every movement. She saw Gaius take a step forward but Bill was there first, his arms coming around to support her. He led her towards the hatch but just as she was about to step out she stopped and turned.

"Gaius," she said softly, "thank you for saving my life."

_Hera  
_

It had been so long since she had last felt the sun warm her skin. It was one of the few things she missed about New Caprica and so there was great irony in the fact that she now found the sunlight too bright and had to take shelter beneath a makeshift canopy. This in turn made her cold and so she had to bury herself in blankets, only her head poking out so she wouldn't miss a single sight.

This world was so beautiful, even more so than she had first thought – more so than she had ever dared to imagine. Sometimes she still wondered if somehow it was a dream. Maybe the cancer had gotten to her brain after all and this was just a disease induced hallucination. But she was pretty sure it wasn't. Most of the time.

Her eyes slipped closed for a moment despite herself. They opened a moment later, when the sound of approaching footsteps reached her. At first she thought it was Bill coming back but she quickly realized there was more than one person. She shifted to look in the direction it came from and was surprised to see the Agathons headed her way: Helo and Sharon, with Hera not far behind.

Laura managed to shift closer to a sitting position, while also putting on her glasses. She watched the group approach her, not sure what to expect. For the most part, she had kept her distance from them, Opera House visions excluded. It was the easiest thing for everyone, once Helo and Sharon knew the truth about their daughter's fate. But now they were seeking her out, standing in front of her.

"Hello," Athena said, her voice calm and steady.

"Hello," Laura said back, her voice calm yet anything but steady.

Silence. Helo shifted his crutches, before saying, "We're going to be leaving soon, like everyone else."

Laura nodded. She'd been watching people heading out all day, off to make a new life for themselves, this time for good. She's said so many goodbyes already; she hadn't expected to get the chance for this one.

"Right well," Athena said after another silent moment. "We wanted to say goodbye." Her tone was less calm this time. Something was obviously upsetting her.

Helo looked at his wife for a moment, before turning back to Laura. "_Hera_ wanted to say goodbye."

Laura looked over at the child, this girl that she would have done almost anything to protect; the girl who had saved Laura's life, even though she had decided to have the pregnancy terminated. And suddenly warm arms were around her, small arms that seemed to have grown more every time Laura saw her. Laura closed her eyes and silently willed her arms to return the embrace.

_I measure every grief I meet  
_

It was time to go, to leave _Galactica _for the last time. "Goodbye," Laura said to Tory, before turning to walk down the hallway.

_With analytic eyes;  
_

The look of pure shock in Gaius' eyes almost made Laura laugh or cry. He nodded at her words, clearly struggling to reply. "You're welcome," he finally managed.

"Goodbye Gaius," Laura said as she turned back and made her way off the Raptor.

_I wonder if it weighs like mine,  
_

Laura's arms wrapped around Hera and held the child close. "Bye bye," Hera whispered into her ear.

"Bye bye," Laura replied.

_Or has an easier size.  
_

Laura stood on the shore, sunlight turning her hair red and keeping her warm. The second part wasn't necessary though, as soon large, familiar arms wrapped themselves around her.

"Hello," she said to Bill and kissed him.

* * *

[A/N: The poem featured at the end is "I measure every grief..." by Emily Dickinson.]


End file.
